


Not How We Intended

by raggirare



Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-08-16
Updated: 2012-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-22 16:41:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/240181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raggirare/pseuds/raggirare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's never a good idea to wake Basco before he's ready.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Waking the Demon

It was still somewhat of a shock to wake up to such a colorful room in the morning after years of waking up to a much darker and less welcoming environment. It made him wonder how he could’ve served the Zangyack in the first place. Well, technically, he was still serving. It was just so much easier to ignore that fact in his new assignment.

Sid sat himself up slowly and swung his legs over the edge of the large bed. He’d ended up in the captain’s quarters again with no memory of how he’d actually gotten there. They’d probably been drinking. It was the easiest way to pass the time during their dead space voyages, drinking and card games and then whatever happened to follow.

The other half of the bed was still sinking with the weight of another body. The man always looked so at peace when he slept, a complete flip on the showy, flashy personality the man practically glowed with when he was full conscious. Sid chuckled to himself before standing and pulling on his pair of pants when he finally found where they’d been dropped on the floor. A moment more of searching and his eye patch was back in place and he headed from the bedroom towards the main deck.

“Morning, Sari,” he greeted with a smile and petted the top of the monkey’s head. He’d grown quite fond of her in the years that he had been aboard the _Free Joker_ and while she wasn’t as loyal to him as she was to Basco, she’d certainly gotten used to having him around.

The swordsman approached the console and examined it, cocking an eyebrow at a blinking light. “Wonder who could be calling…” He pressed the button and the main screen of the deck flickered to life. Sid grinned. “Old man Damarasu!” Since joining the privateering crew, Sid had picked up a few habits of his own, many of them similar to his flamboyant captain’s.

The Zangyack commander did not seem pleased.

“Bamick. I have been waiting for ten minutes for you to respond to this call. Where have you been?”

“Sleeping.”

“Where is Basco?”

“Sleeping.”

“Go and fetch him. I wish to speak to him.”

“He’s sleeping.”

“I don’t care, go and get him.”

“I’m not waking him up.”

“I said. Go. And. Get him.”

“He’s still asleep.”

“Then wake him up!”

“You don’t wanna do that.”

“BAMICK!”

“Sari. Go get Basco, would ya?” The monkey eyed the video screen for a moment before nodding and lopping out of the room to rouse her master. Once she was gone, Sid returned his attention to the screen. “Y’know, he won’t be happy about being woken up with a hangover.”

“That is not my problem.”

Despite how things had once been between them, Sid had grown rather fond of his rare conversations with Damarasu. He didn’t doubt that it had something to do with hanging around Basco for so long but it was much better than the alternative of having the man hunting him down for treason and desertion and whatever other things he had done to piss off the Zangyack all those years ago.

It wasn’t a secret when Basco was roused. There was a loud shout and some swearing and the sound of something hard being thrown across the room and a few minutes later, the privateer emerged from the room in a similar dress to the swordsman, though more covered with his coat draped over his shoulders. He glared at the screen showing Damarasu’s face for a good minute or so before finally speaking.

“What is it?” He demanded, clearly displeased at being woken up before he was ready.

The commander frowned a little as he took in Basco’s attire but didn’t comment on it. There wasn’t much secret to what exactly the pair got up to on those long journeys through deep space. What else was one to expect?

“I have a job for you, Basco,” He said in his most commanding voice. “Insarn is sending you the coordinates and other information now. I’m sure you will figure out what to do.”

Sid stepped away from the console as the information began to arrive and moved to make himself comfortable in Basco’s chair. He stretched his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles, and raised an eyebrow at the chuckle Basco gave from his position at the console.

“You’re so thoughtful, old man,” Basco’s tone was much more playful, and Sid was suddenly curious about this new job of theirs. “This will be fun. I’ll be sure to contact you when I’m finished. Bye bye~”

A click and Damarasu’s face disappeared from the screen. Basco stayed standing at the console a moment longer, probably reading through the finer details of the mission.

“You sound a lot happier now,” Sid commented, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

Basco laughed. “How could I not be with a present like this?” A click and the screen lit up. “What do you think, Bambam? Isn’t it such a wonderful opportunity?”

Sid opened his eyes and glanced at the screen. He looked at the coordinates and brushed them aside when he found he didn’t recognize them and instead focused on the wanted posters that were also up on the screen.

His eyes widened.


	2. My Saviour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basco wasn't stable. But Sid's not about to point that out.

_“So you kidnapped the traitor in order to collect a bounty on him?”_

 _Basco laughed and shook his head. “Does it look like he’s in any sort of kidnapped or imprisoned state?” A hand lifted from where his arms were folded over his chest to gesture at the man standing beside him. The Zangyack uniform was gone and in its place sat a pair of dark pants and a loose, short-sleeved shirt, some of the bandages still visible on his arms. Very plain, not the sort of clothing Sid would’ve thought that Basco would have in his possession._

 _Damarasu scowled but didn’t move. “What are you playing at, Basco?” He dearly wished to step forward and remove that traitor Bamick but he couldn’t. He was on Basco’s ship and he knew better than to take something from under the privateer’s nose on the privateer’s ship. No wonder Basco had invited him rather than just waltzing onto the commander’s ship._

 _“Me? I’m not playing at anything,” he said, airily, the arm returning to being folded across his chest. “I’m simply asking for you to extend my deal to Mr. Bamick, here. We have talked, him and I, and we have come to the conclusion that the reason for his betrayal was nothing more than simple feelings. He had become attached to that real traitor and his fatherly instinct kicked in and drove him to save the poor soldier. But now that he’s had plenty of time away from him, he’s realized the error of his ways and where his true allegiance lies.”_

 _“And where is that?” Damarasu demanded._

 _“Why, the Zangyack, of course,” The airy tone returns to Basco’s voice and his smirk seems to get more and more smug with every word that leaves his mouth. “Of course, he will be a part of my crew so he will follow my command, not yours directly. We can’t waste a beautiful talent like this on the mediocre repetitiveness of the military. You supply him with the weapons he needs and if he does anything out of line with the rules I face as a privateer, then I will deal with him by my own hand.”_

 _Damarasu didn’t like this. He didn’t like this one bit. But, he figured that it would come in handy, especially considering the news that had reached him earlier that morning of the soldier’s apparent rescue by a particularly annoying pirate. Basco had an effect on people, he had noticed. There were two ways for this to go: Bamick either ended up completely influenced by Basco by the time they were needed (if they were needed) to sort out those pirates and there was no issue, or he saw his old student and got cut down in his tracks by Basco when he broke the rules. Win-Win for the Zangyack. Unfortunately._

 _“Fine. I will allow it. But remember, Basco. I’m watching you carefully.”_

\---

“Basco…”

“Hm?”

“How exactly… is this a wonderful opportunity?”

The privateer stopped tapping away at the keys on the console and slowly turned to look at his partner. “What do you mean, Bambam?” he asked, taking a slow step closer. “I thought you would be glad to see him again after so long. Especially with how closely you follow his progress.” Sid suddenly wished he hadn’t decided to sit down. Basco had closed the distance and was now leaning forward over him, hands on the arm rests of the chair, pinning him in place. “Don’t you think he’ll be so happy to see his beloved senpai alive and well? Or do you not want him to see you like this? Still working for the Zangyack, working for me? Are you so ashamed of me, Bambam, after I saved your life? Saved you from certain death and from the mediocrity of a soldier’s life?” A hand lifted to move Sid’s eyepatch and a thumb brushed over the closed eye. It was a gentle touch, but the tone that Basco spoke sent a chill down Sid’s spine. “Don't you think I deserve a little—“

A hand flew up to grab Basco’s wrist as the hand began to pull away. Sid didn’t know what to expect from that hand so he wasn’t going to risk it. “Basco,” he scolded, much like he had used to scold Joe whenever he said something he considered out of line. His hand slid down to lace with the other man’s fingers and his tone softened some. “What I meant…” he started slowly, his other hand running up Basco’s other arm to push the coat away. “Was that it doesn’t seem a wonderful opportunity for us, but rather, for them.” He let the coat fall to the ground and then turned the man around so he could pull him back to sit in his lap. “Do they really deserve our presence when we could crush them like bugs without even trying?” He paused and slid his arms around Basco’s waist.

Basco relaxed back into him.

Sid let go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

It was always difficult with Basco. Most of the time, he was rather easy to deal with. He seemed to always be happy, smirk and smile and laugh and joke things off, make everything fun. But one wrong move, one wrong word, even just something he misinterpreted in a bad way, and his mood would flip and more than once, Sid had feared for his life. He learned now, though, exactly what to say to calm the man down. Compliments worked the best, but there were other things too. Like a coaxing hand rubbing over his back or stomach or chest, or a hand in his hair.

Sid brushed his lips over Basco’s shoulder. He hated lying about anything concerning Joe, but he had to for fear of his life. As long as Basco believed that Sid was his, all his and only his, then Sid could feel safe and not worry about the privateer’s temper going haywire.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” He asked, fingers splayed over Basco’s stomach, only teasing a little lower than his navel. He didn’t get a vocalized answer, only a suddenly empty lap and an insistent tugging at his arm that pulled him from the seat to his feet.

Life with Basco was certainly difficult but never let it be said that it wasn’t fun.


	3. Confusing Predictions and Banana Skins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Navi's predictions are as confusing as ever and Don is still a magnet for accidents.

_268… 269… 270… 271… 272… 27—_

“Joe-san? Would you like a cup of tea as well?”

Numbers flew out of Joe’s head as he lay back on the bench he had been doing sit-ups on. He stared at the ceiling of the main deck for a moment before slowly sitting and giving Ahim a slight smile. He couldn’t bring himself to scold her for making him lose count. If it had been Luka, that would’ve been a different story, but Ahim was just too polite.

“Yes, please,” he said with a nod before reaching forward to lift his drink bottle off the table. He took a small sip, moistening his mouth, before he swallowed and grabbed a towel from the arm of the couch to pat the sweat from his face. “Hey, Marvelous. What are we doing today?”

The captain paused where he was lining up a dart to look back over his shoulder with a smirk. “Hunting for another Grand Power, of course,” he said and turned his gaze back to the dartboard. The dart left his hand and sailed straight into the board, landing just outside of the bullseye. “Oi, bird. You know what to do.”

Navi flapped his wings. “I told you not to call me that.”

“Just get on with it,” Marvelous dropped into his chair and gave the bird standing on the treasure chest a pointed look.

The bird gave a sigh and flapped his wings again. “Let’s Treasure Navigate!” He lifted up off the treasure chest, hovering for a moment, before spinning around and shooting up into the roof. "Trust your heart and not your eyes.... or something like that."

Luka stared at where Navi had landed on Marvelous's lap blankly for a moment before stepping forward. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded and folded her arms across her chest.

"Navi, are you sure that was it?" Don didn't look too certain, but the bird just nodded. “Mou… It’s even more confusing than normal…”

“I’ll say!” Luka put her hands on her hips. “We’re pirates. We search for treasure with our eyes.” The rest of the crew nodded in agreement before they all fell silent in contemplation.

“What do you think, Joe?” Marvelous leaned his head against the side of his chair to look at his first mate, his trademark smirk pulling at his lips. Joe just shrugged and stood up off the bench.

“We usually manage to figure it out while we’re searching,” he pointed out, stepping towards the coat rack to pull his jacket on. “So I guess we just go and search.”

\---

With such a vague prediction, none of them knew where to start. They were less searching and more just wandering around aimlessly and probably would keep doing so until Marvelous decided he was hungry.

Joe stopped walking and looked around, his arms folded over his chest. They were on a path that he was pretty sure he’d walked a hundred times since arriving on this planet. There was a large flight of stairs that lead up to what seemed to be a public courtyard surrounded by gardens on one side and a large wall that was the side of an overpass on the other.

“Everything seems normal,” he commented before giving a sigh. “Are we sure that Navi wasn’t just wrong?”

As if on cue, Marvelous’s mobirates began to ring. The captain casually lifted it out of his jacket and flipped it open. “Navi?” he greeted, almost bored. “Huh? Are you sure it’s not Zangyack? Alright. We’ll check it out.” He closed the phone and put it back in his jacket. “Navi’s spotted a ship landing nearby that isn’t Zangyack.”

The captain took off at a run, and his crew followed after him.

Joe often questioned his friend’s definition of ‘nearby’. The canyon they had ended up in was a fair distance from the main city and seemed completely empty. He searched the sky above them for signs of the ship but the cloud had blown over and made it harder to see.

“WOOOOAH!”

All attention was drawn to the front of the group where Don had managed to fall flat on his back. Luka crouched down then straightened, holding a banana peel in her fingers.

“What’s this doing here…?”

“Yo, Marvy-chan! I was wondering when you were going to show up.” Marvelous froze at the voice and looked towards one of the slopes of the canyon, his eyes wide. All he saw was a monkey eating its way through a banana, but that voice... “It’s been a long time! You look well.”

“You’re still just playing around after all this time,” the captain stepped forward to the front of his crew, his eyes never leaving the monkey. “Basco!”

A laugh and a face peered around the monkey, a wide grin on his lips. “You got me!” he said, almost happily, as he pulled himself to his feet. “You remembered me?”

“How could I forget?” Marvelous’s lips turned down in a sneer. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, nothing much, this and that, taking a tour, seeing the sights with my friend,” Basco chatted away as if it were a normal conversation. “Oh, and looking for the greatest treasure in the universe. And a nice paycheck. Pillaging ships is all well and good but me and Bambam need something more exciting and really, this is it. Sari, too. I know she can get awfully bored when she gets left by herself when me and Bambam have to go and do things without her. But look at you, Marvy-chan. You’re captain now? You’ve certainly got an interesting crew. A princess, a thief, oh, look, Bambam, he’s here as well. The defector. I must say you look stunning in blue. It suits you much better than that uniform ever did. I did say that everyone in that bar could do with some colour.” Joe narrowed his eyes and took a step forward, stepping ahead of Marvelous, his sabre in his hand. “Oh, you remember now, don’t you?”

“Joe, what are you doing?” Marvelous’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, but his friend ignored him, continuing to walk forward. The captain grabbed for his hand but Joe simply pulled it free.

Basco smirked almost victoriously. “You’re still angry at me after all these years because of that one night?” he laughed. “How cute. I’m a little surprised you haven’t moved on, though. Surely you’d have accepted that you weren’t going to see him again by now. He never turned up amongst the wanted posters, did he? Obviously the Zangyack got him. And you still continued to hold on.”

“Joe-san, who is he talking abou—“

“Oi, Basco! We gotta go! The old man wants to talk to you.”

That voice… Joe froze for a moment before slowly turning his head to look up the slope to their side. The sabre he’d been holding up and ready to charge at Basco slowly fell to his side and slipped from his slackening gaze.

The man at the top of the slope stood tall. Two swords sat on his right hip, while a third sat his left, the blades hidden beneath the black coat he wore. The simple gold adornments on the coat caught the light and seemed to glisten and his left eye was covered by an eyepatch. But what really caught Joe’s attention was the hair.

He swallowed.

“S-Sid… senpai…?”

The man on the slope turned his head at the name and looked straight at Joe. Neither moved or said anything as Basco and his monkey walked around the edge of the slope.

“Coming, Bambam?” the privateer asked with a drawl, slowly dragging his hand over the man’s chest as he walked past. He made a point of looking straight at Joe with a widening smirk.

“…Yeah,” Sid finally replied, his eyes having moved from Joe to follow the hand’s path across his chest. “Ship’s waiting.”

\---

“Joe. You aren’t going anywhere until you tell me what the hell that was back there.”

“It doesn’t concern you.”

“Yes, it does.”

“Marvelous, why don’t you tell us who that Basco guy was?”

“Because it doesn’t concern _you_.”

“He’s after the treasure as well, so it does concern us! And that other guy as well! Who the hell was he?”

“Quiet!”

It was surprisingly rare for the crew of the GokaiGalleon to break out in arguments. It was even rarer for Marvelous to use his captain voice.

“The only ones this concerns right now is me and Joe,” he said, looking around the other three, daring them to defy him.

Luka glared. “You’re both hiding something that concerns all of us. If that guy knows about the treasure as well, then shouldn’t we know who the hell he is? Shouldn’t we know who the hell we’re up against?”

Joe dropped down onto the couch and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Basco’s a privateer,” he said simply. “He works for the Zangyack and in return he gets to do what we do but without worrying about being wanted.”

“And he used to be a part of the Red Pirate Gang,” Navi added helpfully only to receive a glare and scolding from Marvelous.

“The Red Pirate Gang…?” Ahim echoed slowly, looking at their captain.

Marvelous sighed, sitting down in his seat. “Basco betrayed us,” he explained, eyes staring at the red pirate flag opposite him. “We’d collected all the ranger keys and were aiming for the greatest treasure in the universe… and then Basco sold us out to the Zangyack. He made a deal so he could take the keys and Navi and get the treasure for himself.” He sighed before suddenly sitting forward and looking straight at Joe. “But that doesn’t explain how he knows you.”

Joe glared at him a moment before giving a soft snort. “I thought you would’ve figured that part out,” he said before slowly standing, letting his feet carry him towards the stairs. “He likes the rum that Zangyack soldiers drink, so he made a habit of visiting military bases purely so he could go into the bars. He seemed to favour the base I was training on, because every night when I went with…” He hesitated a moment, as though carefully choosing his words. “With my captain, he’d be there. They’d play cards and drink together and I’d sit and watch.”

“And who was that other guy with him?”

Marvelous’s question fell on deaf ears and went unanswered. Joe had already climbed the stairs and left the room.


	4. For Whose Sake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marvelous sends Joe out to clear his head and find the answers he needs.

_“Who was he?”_

 _Joe paused where he had been about to place down a card in the solo card game he was playing and lifted his head to look at Marvelous questioningly._

 _“The one who helped you escape.”_

 _The swordsman looked at him a moment longer before looking back down at his game. He placed the card down on its intended position them sat back in the couch, still looked at the cards. It had been a few days since Marvelous had rescued him and they’d spent those days traveling through deep space, trying to keep a low key while they recovered._

 _“My captain,” he started, slowly shuffling the cards in his hands. “My teacher. My best friend. One of the greatest swordsman, if not the greatest, that the Zangyack had ever seen.” Admiration filled his tone, as well as a sense of longing. It had barely been a week since they had parted ways and Joe had forced himself to run despite the sounds of a one-sided battle raging behind him, yet Joe felt like he hadn’t seen Sid in years. He missed him with every fibre of his being. His heart, his mind, his body. He missed his warmth and his smile and the way Joe felt safer just being by his side._

 _Marvelous didn’t say anything for a moment, just nodding and watching Joe. He seemed to be considering something. “Did he make it?”_

 _Joe didn’t know how to answer it truthfully, or if he even wanted to. He didn’t want to admit what he feared, either, so he nodded. “Of course.” Of course Sid got out. He was the best. He was the one who said that if they survived, they’d meet again._

 _He had to be alive. He just had to._

\--

“Marvelous! Marvelous! This is bad! Joe’s-“

“Gone. I know.” The captain was calm and almost uncaring where he sat in his chair, facing the screen. “I told him to go.” He didn’t know why his crew was worried. It wasn’t as if it were the first time that Joe had ever disappeared from the ship. Perhaps the events of the day before had something to do with it. Marvelous didn’t know.

All he knew was that he was hungry. His stomach growled loudly. “Doc! I want breakfast.”

The blond didn’t need to be told twice. Almost instantly, Don was in the kitchen, quickly setting to work preparing everything over for cooking. Ahim set to getting the table ready for food, but Luka didn’t move from where she was standing in front of Marvelous with her arms folded over her chest.

The captain raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

“You two are hiding stuff from us.”

Marvelous frowned, his tone and gaze turning serious and strict. “When Joe is ready to share, he will,” He said, slowly getting to his feet and stepping close to her, lowering his voice almost dangerously. “All of us have a past we’d rather forget. That’s why we do what we do. Put yourself in his shoes and just think for a moment how you would feel. A ghost from your past shows up out of nowhere and everyone continues to pester you and make you think about all those things you’d rather pretend never happened. They don’t give you a moment’s peace, and you can’t figure out how to deal with the problem and it’s eating away at you from the inside out, slowly driving you insane. All everyone else wants to do is help, but it’s not something they can help with and all you want is for them to leave you alone to think. You know how it feels, Luka. You know exactly what Joe is going through. So I suggest you leave it, because otherwise he’s going to lash out.” He turned on his heel and stepped back to his chair, sliding the weighted bracelet over his hand and picking up a dart. “And if he lashes out at you, it’s going to be your own fault.”

He barely stopped to aim before the dart left his fingers and planted itself deep into the dartboard.

\--

Joe had spotted the _Free Joker_ anchored near the canyon where the meeting the previous day had taken place, so that was where he headed first.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting out of venturing back, but whatever it was, he had already decided it would beat being interrogated about the man in black who had caught his attention so easily and shocked him into losing his concentration. Had they been fighting, Joe didn’t doubt he would’ve died, or at least come close.

When he reached the flat, open space he’d been standing in before, Joe’s feet stopped moving. His arms hung by his side and he looked up at the privateer’s ship hovering overhead. It wasn’t nearly as low as the Galleon was often kept.

Joe didn’t know how long he waited; how long he stood there without moving. After however long it was, the swordsman spotted something open from the bottom of the ship, a platform slowly lowering itself down. There was a figure there, tall and dark and, when it jumped from the platform to land almost gracefully on the ground, silver.

He watched the man stand and brush himself off before taking a few slow steps towards Joe, stopping a few feet away. They didn’t say anything for a long moment, just examining each other and taking everything in. Joe’s eyes glistened with the tears he’d been holding back since the previous day’s meeting.

He swallowed and closed the distance between them in two short steps, his arms lifting to wrap tightly around the taller man’s neck. He didn’t manage to get any words out before the tears started to fall.

He’d never cried in front of everyone. Not in front of Marvelous when he felt responsible for his best friend’s death. Not in front of Sid when he’d been captured and marked for execution. But now, he had no restraints, letting his tears stain the shoulder of the jacket he’d buried his face into.

His hold tightened when he felt arms wrap around his waist and then they were kissing, slow and soft and it was everything that he had been missing for years and then some. When the kiss broke, the tears had stopped but his eyes were still wet and a little red.

Sid’s own eyes were wet, though he hadn’t cried, and he was smiling down at him. It was so familiar and Joe felt like nothing had changed; that they were still enlisted men enjoying a lull in the busy lifestyle to enjoy a moment’s peace just the two of them.

“You’re alive.” Joe’s voice was weak and he curled his fingers into Sid’s jacket. He didn’t care that it was such an obvious thing to point out. He was still trying to come to terms with the fact that his senpai, his teacher, his best friend was still alive after all these years, and looking better than ever, especially now that he was out of that ugly uniform that they’d had to wear. “I missed you…”

The older man just smiled and began to run his fingers through Joe’s ponytail. “I missed you, too.” He was being cautious, Joe noticed, but he ignored it; brushed it off as anxiety of a reunion after so long and the circumstances they had parted on. “You’ve come so far.”

“Only because of you. I’ve only been able to keep going because I needed to see you again.”

“No, Joe.” Sid’s smile fell and he gave his head a small shake. “You haven’t fought for me since that day Luka joined your crew. You used that point to start moving on. To stop hanging onto the past where you were certain that there was only one outcome and to focus on protecting your future.”

Joe quickly shook his head and tightened his hold on Sid’s jacket. “I didn’t! It was always for you! I knew I had to-“

“It’s okay, Joe.” Lips pressed against the ranger’s forehead and Joe stared at him wide-eyed. “I want you to let go. If you had kept on going just for me, you would never have gotten close to your full potential.” Large hands carefully pried Joe’s hands off of his jacket and Sid slowly stepped back when Joe tried to grab him again. “You need to let go, Joe. Of me. Of what we had. It’ll be better that way. “

“S-Sid… senpai…” Joe’s eyes were watering again and his hands were shaking at his sides. “How is that better?” His voice shook and he curled his hands into tight fists. “How?! You were the one who wanted to leave the Zangyack in the first place. Why would you go straight back to them?” He stepped forward and grabbed the front of Sid’s jacket again, shaking him a little. “With _him_ of all people!”

“Because I had no choice,” Even as Joe’s tone got more and more aggravated, Sid’s stayed calm, if not a little shaky. “Basco saved me, Joe. Just like Marvelous saved you. I’m indebted. I owe him. And if I just leave him… it’ll just endanger you and your friends and I can’t do that to you.” He placed his hands over Joe’s and, once again, pulled them from his jacket even if he didn’t let go of them straight away. “I still love you, Joe. I really do. But you have to let go. For your sake.” He squeezed the hands still in his, then dropped them and began walking away before Joe could get a chance to stop him again.


	5. Accusations and Consequence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sid faces Basco after saying goodbye to Joe and Marvelous can't find his first mate.

Sid wasn’t expecting a warm welcome when he returned to the _Free Joker_. In fact, he was almost certain that Hell was going to freeze over the moment he stepped back onto the main deck, so he made a point of hesitating in the cargo bay where the platform lowered down from to take a few deep breaths and steel himself. He knew exactly what he was going to get chewed out for, and he had his excuses planned and ready.

Basco was going to be jealous that Sid was kissing someone else? Joe kissed him. Sid kissed back? Heat of the moment. Hug that lasted far too long? Joe is still holding onto the past. Sid looked hesitant to leave? He was, but only because Joe looked so pathetic when Sid said his final goodbyes.

The swordsman took one last deep breath and began up to the stairs to the main deck.

\--

Watching the ship pull up its anchor and fly away, Joe wanted to break down and cry.

He dropped to his knees in the dirt and stared after the shrinking silhouette of the _Free Joker_. The moment it was out of sight, he leaned forward and hit the ground with a tightly closed fist. He didn’t cry, though. He’d already used up all of his tears and there were none left for the man who’d left after their first reunion in who-knows-how many years with the intention of not coming back.

Sid. _His_ Sid. He’d said he still loved him, but Joe had to wonder whether it was true, or whether it was Sid being Sid and trying to say something without it resulting in an emotional collapse. A large part of Joe told him to believe his senpai’s words, but another part, the smaller, niggling part of him that made him constantly doubt himself, told him that Sid had moved on from whatever they had and found something better to go back to and didn’t want to hurt Joe’s feelings anymore than possible in saying goodbye.

Joe squeezed his eyes shut and pounded the ground until his hands were raw and dusty. He knew he was throwing a tantrum. He wouldn’t protest differently. But there was no one else around for miles, and he figured he had the perfect excuse to act like a child who can’t get the toy he’s wanted.

\--

“What was that about?”

Sid could feel the deathly aura that Basco was giving off even before he managed to get onto the main deck. He slowly stepped through the door, subconsciously lifting a hand to adjust his eye patch. It was a nervous tic he had developed; a reminder of what happened when he wasn’t cautious enough and stopped paying attention to the possible consequences.

“I was saying good bye.” He put on his best non-chalant tone and moved to stand beside the captain standing in front of the viewing window. He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pants.

“You kissed him.” Basco’s expression matched his tone; empty, cold and unnerving. He didn’t look at Sid, eyes fixed on the scenery of the planet beneath them.

Sid shook his head. “He kissed me.” He corrected with a glance towards the privateer, watching Basco turn away from the window and take a few steps away from him. “He’s still holding onto what we had in the past.”

“What about you?” The captain asked. Sid blinked and looked back over his shoulder to him with a questioning look. “Are you still holding on?”

“No.” Sid shook his head, relaxing some when Basco seemed to do the same at the response. He turned his attention back out the window. They were flying over a coastline lined with tall white cliffs, large waves crashing over rocks and sand. The sea was a mix of foamy white and deep blue and the land was bright green with spring grass, littered with the white heads of daisies. It was relaxing, watching the scenery pass by, and eased the swordsman’s anxiety a little more.

“Don’t lie to me!”

Sid’s vision flashed white with pain as something hard suddenly collided with his head on his blind side and then he was down on the ground, spitting blood onto the floor of the deck where he’d bitten the inside of his cheek at the impact. Something warm was dripping down the side of his face and his head was nothing but pain. He tried to open his eye but was met with nothing but a blurry view of the floor.

Fingers ran into his hair almost lovingly, before they curled and tugged, pulling Sid to his feet. He tried to open his eye again, this time met with a blurry figure of Basco. He was slightly thankful that he couldn’t see in enough detail to make out the pirate’s expression. What he could make out, though, just barely over the top of the throbbing pain in his ears was a voice. His voice.

 _”I still love you, Joe.”_

Sid froze. He had known that Basco would be watching. He always did, to make sure that Sid stayed in line and didn’t need punishment. But he’d never expected that the man would be recording him as well. How did he manage to get such clear recordings of a quiet, private conversation without being caught? And how long had he been doing it?

“Not holding on, huh?” Basco carelessly threw Sid to the side as though he were nothing more than trash then stepped forward to where he landed to kick him across the head again. Sid gave a cry of pain as the wound on his temple split open further and collapsed onto his side, his hands going up to hold onto his head. Basco sneered and stomped a foot down on his back, forcing him flat against the ground. “So I’m nothing more than an _obligation_ to you?” His hand threaded into Sid’s hair again and roughly pulled his hair back to look at his face, almost snarling. “You’re only here because of me. You’re only alive because of me. You’re right. You do owe me. You owe me big time. And if you ever think of defying a single word I say or putting one toe out of line, I will not hesitate to cut you down and use you as bait. Understand?”

Sid nodded as much as the tight hold in his hair would allow him, eyes screwed shut in pain. The boot on his back pressed down even harder and the swordsman could almost hear his ribs creaking under the pressure. The boot let up, though, and the hand in his hair pushed his face roughly into the floor before letting go as well. He didn’t move as he listened to heavy bootsteps getting further away, leaving the main deck and down the hall towards to captain’s quarters. Only when he heard the door open then slam shut again did he move.

Face still contorted in pain, Sid pulled himself across the floor towards the main console. He slid up onto his knees then rolled over to collapse back against the stand of the console, resting his head back against it. He considered calling for Sally, but he had a feeling that the monkey wouldn’t come and assist him, wherever she was, so he settled on just sitting still until his vision at least cleared enough that he could see.

Using the console as a support, he pulled himself to his feet. His head spun, but he did his best to ignore it, leaning against the wall as he slowly dragged himself towards the bathroom. The only thing other than his head that hurt was his back where he was sure a boot-shaped bruise was going to appear, but that didn’t make his going any easier. He had to stop every few steps to let wave after wave of lightheadedness pass until he finally made it into the bathroom and could lean against the sink and stare at his bloodied reflection in the mirror.

\--

When Joe hadn’t returned by lunch, Marvelous wasn’t worried. Ahim passed only a brief comment and a place was still set at the table for him despite none of them thinking he’d be back in time. When he wasn’t back by dinner either the captain just shook his head and ate Joe’s share of the meal, save for what Don was quick enough to save and put in the fridge to save for when Joe did get back.

“Are you sure he’s okay, Marvelous?” Don’s tone quivered a little, betraying his worry from where he was working at the console, preparing the Galleon for the night.

The captain nodded and gave him his trademark smirk. “Are you doubting him, Doc?” he asked with a laugh before he stood and clapped the blond on the shoulder. “Of course he’s okay.” Whether he was convinced or not, Marvelous wasn’t sure. Don just nodded an agreement and finished his work before excusing himself to bed.

Ahim followed a few minutes later, and then Luka not long after her, but not before giving Marvelous a worried look. He just sighed and waved her off.

Alone in the main cabin, the captain looked at his Mobirates sitting on the table by the treasure chest. The fingers of one hand pulled at the leg of his pants before he gave in and picked up it, dialing Joe’s number. It rang and rang and rang before he eventually got annoyed with the sound and snapped it closed again.

“Where are you…?” He stared at the device before shoving it into the pockets of his pants and climbing the stairs up to the main deck and then up to the crow’s neck. The sky above the ship was dark, and the city below lit up with the lights lining the streets and the dim light illuminating the odd window of an apartment or corporate building where someone was still awake this late at night busy with work.

His gaze shifted towards a large, unlit area. The same place he had seen Joe headed towards early that morning. His fingers curled around the Mobirates in his pocket and he worried his bottom lip through his teeth.

“Marvelous.”


	6. Conditioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basco is very particular about how everything works on his ship, from the main console to his ex-soldier pet.

Joe couldn’t ever remember a time where he’d felt resented. He’d been disliked, yeah, and maybe hated, but truly resented? Not that he could remember. And he was pretty sure he would remember the feeling, especially with the way he could feel the privateer’s eyes boring into his soul whenever they ran into him.

The encounters seemed to be occurring almost every week now, and there was even on incident where they ran into him three days in a row. It was actually starting to get a little annoying, especially since it was always the same thing. They’d fight a few of Basco’s keys, then whatever creature was released, usually after they’d already had to deal with one of the Zangyack’s commanders and a whole bunch of gormin and sugormin. 

But Joe refused to let any chance to get close to Basco pass by. It had been almost three months since his encounter with Sid and he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of his mentor since then. He’d demanded to know where he was the first time they’d run into Basco after that meeting, but the privateer had merely flashed him a wry smirk before summoning a handful of keys and distracting the pirates with a battle.

Every time, Basco managed to get away by the time the fight was over, and every time, Joe would chase him, determined to find out where Sid was and what had happened to him. He was always just a few seconds to slow, arriving in time to watch the Free Joker pull up her anchor and take off into the sky.

Despite the repetitive failures and the even more repetitively voiced worries of most his crewmates, Joe continued to try. He couldn’t give up. For years, he’d lived with the fear that he had caused his best friend’s death, and now that he knew Sid was alive, he wasn’t going to let him go again. At least, he was sure that Sid was still alive. 

Calloused, bloodied fingers curled tightly around the hilt of the sword in his hand, his eyes fixated on the red dot shrinking in the sky.

Sid had to be alive. He had survived this long, already. There was no way he’d just let himself die so soon after being reunited with his old student.

“Joe…” The swordsman didn’t even flinch at the voice, or the hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t the first time that Marvelous had followed him on his post-skirmish chase. The hand squeezed a little before dropping again, the voice growing quieter as the captain turned and began to walk around. “Next time. Next time, for sure.”

Joe hesitated a moment, eyes still focused and where the ship had been before it disappeared completely behind cloud and into the distance. Slowly, he turned on his heel and followed a half step behind his captain, heading back towards the galleon.

\--

“Oh, good, you are awake.”

Sid bit down on his already-bleeding bottom lip to silence a pained groan and slowly opened his one good eye. It took a few seconds for his vision to focus, and when it did, it only lasted for a few seconds before it flashed white and blurred again. He did let groan in pain pass his lips this time, but it seemed to go ignored as Basco continued to rant.

“That brat of yours is really getting annoying.”

The third time a boot connected with his head, Sid barely felt it, head still spinning from the last two passes. It had become a regular thing, now, for Sid to woken up by a boot to his head, and he was pretty sure that the past three months of daily head kicks was giving him a permanent concussion. It was bad enough by now that he just lay there on the floor of his room where he’d landed after being dragged off his bed and listened as Basco ranted on and on and on about Joe and his constant pestering.

It was the same thing over and over again.

Basco ranted and paced and ranted some more about Joe constantly asking after Sid and chasing him after the fight and there was always a laugh of some kind, one of amusement and satisfaction that every time, Joe was always just a few seconds too late.

And then when he was done, he picked the ex-soldier up, ran a hand through his hair and kissed him, almost lovingly. He helped Sid sit down on the edge of the bed and sat down beside him and held him against his side as he called for Sally. The monkey appeared a few minutes later with and ice pack and they’d lie down together, Basco holding the ice pack against Sid’s throbbing head.

Admittedly, this softer aftermath was only a recent development, a fortnight at the most. 

Sid’s first month after his last personal encounter with Joe had been spent locked in his personal quarters, nursing the injuries he’d received, along with ones that Basco delivered when he was in a bad mood, and cooperated with the privateer in everything. By the second month, he’d earned back his trust and was allowed to roam the ship. The first few times, he was locked back in his room when Basco took a trip down to Earth, but even that stopped.

But only because he’d taken to making it impossible for Sid to leave the ship at all.

Sid tried every time he got the opportunity, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t find a way off the _Free Joker_. Four straight weeks of non-stop trying. And then he gave up on that idea entirely. There was no way he was going to ever leave the ship ever again without Basco glued to his side, and he had to accept that and just try and think of a different plan.

By the time the throbbing in his head stopped, the ice pack had melted to water and Sid had fallen back to sleep, lulled by the cooling pain and a hand slowly tracing shapes on his back.

Careful not to disturb him, Basco slowly pulled away, a satisfied smirk set on his lips. He threw the ice pack to Sally before snapping his fingers. “Let’s go, Sally,” he announced as he left the bedroom and headed to the main deck. Approaching the main console, he keyed in a set course to land right in the middle of the nearest large city, simply because he was feeling rather showy today. 

As the coordinates locked in and the _Free Joker_ moved into position, the privateer and his companion moved towards the platform in the loading bay that would lower them to the ground. While he waited for his ship to stop moving, Basco passed by the lock that he had grown accustomed to setting every time he left the ship. 

He glanced at it for a brief moment.

Then moved on to join Sally on the platform, cocky smirk in place.

When the platform returned from lowering the pair to the ground, the loading bay was pitch black, save for the glowing green of the screen above the lock.

_“Unlocked.”_


End file.
